Tuning In: Fran Quinn will get air time at U.S. Open

NBC and Golf Channel golf analyst Brandel Chamblee was happy to hear that Fran Quinn of Holden had qualified for the U.S. Open.

"At the U.S. Open," Chamblee said, "you don't know who is going to pop up. Guys that might not necessarily have their Tour card, like Fran Quinn who I've played a lot of golf with over the years, and he's a marvelous guy. I've enjoyed Fran. I played many tours with Fran and college golf with Fran. You've opened my eyes. I'll see him and say hi."

The U.S. Open features not only the best golfers in the world, including Bubba Watson, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson, but the relative unknowns who earned their way into the event through local and sectional qualifying.

With his 15-year-old son Owen carrying his bag, Quinn, 49, shared medalist honors in the sectional qualifier in Purchase, New York, on June 2 to earn the right to play in his fourth U.S. Open and his first in 18 years.

During the 25 live hours of coverage from Pinehurst, North Carolina, today through Sunday, ESPN and NBC will concentrate mostly on the big names — although Tiger Woods will miss the U.S. Open while recovering from back surgery — but viewers will get at least a glimpse of Quinn He is scheduled to tee off at 2:31 p.m. today.

"My feeling is and always has been," NBC golf producer Tommy Roy said, "that if you qualify for the U.S. Open, you deserve to be shown on television. We actually check off every player as we show them over the course of the four days just to make sure. Quite honestly, we'll get at least 140 of them on over the course of the first two days before the cut takes place. That's a very, very high priority to us."

Roy read the names of 10 from a list he had of qualifiers that he plans to show on the air, and Quinn was included.

"There are so many interesting stories," Roy said, "that we'll definitely take our time to tell their stories."

Quinn's never-say-die attitude, including regaining his PGA Tour card in 2010 after 18 years, is well-known in Massachusetts, and he'll have a chance to show the entire country this week.

Roy said telling stories about unknown Olympians has prepared him for telling stories about U.S. Open qualifiers.

NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller, the 1973 U.S. Open champion, gets a kick out of the fact that anyone with a low enough handicap can play his way into the event.

"Yeah, it's all part of the U.S. O-P-E-N," Miller said while spelling out Open. "That's what makes the Open really an unbelievable championship. It's America in a nutshell."

Chamblee pointed out that qualifying to play in the U.S. Open was the plot of the cult golf movie, "Tin Cup."

"You know what," Chamblee said, "in 2005, that story almost played out."

Unheralded Jason Gore played his way into the final twosome on Sunday in 2005, the last year the U.S. Open was held at Pinehurst. Chamblee remembered the Golf Channel interviewing Gore on its set and buying him new equipment to replace his that had been stolen from his car.

Unfortunately for Gore, he closed with a 14-over 84 on Sunday to drop into a tie for 49th.

"But that was a great story," Roy said.

Chamblee plans to keep an eye on Corey Whitsett, who just led Alabama to its second consecutive NCAA golf championship. Whitsett shot 12-under 132 to win his sectional qualifier in Houston. Whitsett's father Jeff is Chamblee's friend, and he followed Chamblee during the 2000 U.S. Open, but Corey watched Woods.

"On Sunday night that week," Chamblee recalled, "Corey was sitting beside me, and he said, 'I think I'm going to dive in to this golf thing. I really like it. I had a blast this week.' And then it wasn't five or six years later he won the USGA Junior by a wider margin and at a younger age (15) than Tiger Woods."

This will be NBC's 20th consecutive and last year of televising the U.S. Open. Next year, Fox will begin a 12-year deal with the USGA to broadcast the U.S. Open, the U.S. Women's Open and the U.S. Senior Open.

Roy insisted that NBC won't mail it in during its final U.S. Open telecasts and won't mention the end of its reign until the tournament is over. NBC has something special planned for the sign-off, but Roy wouldn't say what it was. NBC will also televise the U.S. Women's Open from Pinehurst next week.